Azealia Banks was tired of being "Rihanna's understudy".
The 23-year-old rapper finally released her debut record Broke with Expensive Taste earlier this year after first having the title and tracks ready way back in 2012. It was dropping her record label Universal and taking matters into her own hands that got the ball rolling, with Azealia having no regrets.
"Yes! I was so ready to drop this bomb. I was ready for it to drop and f**k everyone's heads and speakers up," she gushed to ASOS magazine. "I had to [make the album] my way. I didn't want to be singing anyone's leftovers. I didn't want to be Rihanna's understudy."
On the topic of her favourite artists at the moment, Azealia named three feisty females: Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor.
As well as her music the star is known for her online antics - she's extremely open with her thoughts and opinions on Twitter, which often gets her in trouble. But it isn't all feuds on the social networking site as she also checks in on her fans and their amusing conversations, which she says are always about sex.
When she isn't busy promoting her songs, Azealia sets aside time for the other important figures in her life - her pets.
"I've got a havapoo [half Havanese, half poodle] called Tuxedo. His name was Cappuccino but I changed it," she explained. "I used to have two dogs, Chicken and Pepper, but when I went on tour I gave them to my sister to look after and she just won't give them back. That's why I got Tuxedo."
